Comicsphere: Helen Killer by Andrew Kreisberg

Helen Killer
I have to admit to knowing very little about the real Helen Keller, but she is one of those people whose names floats around the ether and is known even if you don’t know exactly what she is famous for. I think I first heard her name being used as an insult by someone who probably knew as little about her as I did.
Anyway, this takes the real figure of Keller and asks the question — what if Helen Keller were a secret agent? Now if that isn’t one of the most off the wall and brilliant premises for a comic then I don’t know what is. It’s one of those ideas that is so deceptively simple it has you asking yourself why you never thought of it and kicking yourself because you didn’t.
Of course, the idea is just the spark that gets the whole shebang on the road and there are plenty of good ideas that die a death in the execution — thankfully this isn’t one of them. From the cover onwards the art impresses and the way the story builds on the initial concept seems very organic and strangely believable. The narrative is compelling and all of the characters, also drawn from history and distorted through the framework of the story in the same way as Keller herself, convince. I have caught two issues thus far and am looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds and how the depths of the characters shade in and drive everything on, because this truly is a character piece as much as a concept piece and the facts are used expertly to inform this fictional world and enhance its reality.
I also picked up Keller’s biography and am looking forward to acquainting myself with the real story. This comic really does deserve big kudos — for breaking new ground and bringing Helen Keller back into people’s consciousness.
Arcana Studio; ISBN: ARCN-00084